Dentistry courses explained, and Oral Health (VIC mainly)

[iffets12345]

*Please remove or move to a suitable place if someone has already done this*
Well, I know that VTAC applications are coming soon, so I thought I'd give a rundown of some Dentistry courses, particularly the two in Victoria, for those who are interested. I will also explain Oral Health to those who are confused.

1. University of Melbourne, Doctor of Dental Surgery:
This is a postgraduate course for Dentistry and you must complete an undergraduate course to apply for it.

-Common undergraduate courses are Biomedicine or Science at UoM. However, any course that has the prerequisites for DDS is sufficient.  The link for the prerequisite equivalents from other universities is :http://sc.mdhs.unimelb.edu.au/sites/studentcentre/files/Prerequisites_VIC_4.pdf

-If you want to get into this course "guaranteed", then you need a 99.90 ATAR to get into the Chancellor Scholar's program, unless you're one of those disadvantaged people, then it might vary a little. 99.00 will ensure a full-fee paying place, which amounts to about 200k for the whole course.
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/entry-requirements/guaranteed-entry/chancellors-scholars-programs
http://futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/admissions/entry-requirements/guaranteed-entry

-If you don't get an ATAR of 99+, then you will need to simply do the GAMSAT, and do well in your undergraduate course. If your results are good, then you might sit an interview.


2. La Trobe University

This undergraduate course is in Bendigo and thus far is not accredited. HOWEVER, this is because each year can only get accredited as it  is carried out, and since La Trobe only has four cohorts so far, only first, second and third year have been accredited. We are currently waiting on fourth year. It is quite likely La Trobe will get accredited, considering that this is the only undergraduate course in Victoria and it is a rural one too. Accreditation is a common process.

- ATAR required: Around 99. It went from 98ish, to 99.70, to 99.40, and 99.1. It will be expected to rise though because of more applicants, but at the same time the biology prerequisite might balance things out, as will be explained in the next point.

-Biology AND Chemistry are a prerequisite. This year and next year they might be a bit lenient as this rule comes into place, as many people in the current cohort did not do VCE biology. However, as it is being more and more advertised in the VTAC guide and other publications, the university will be more strict on this policy. It is a strange and exceptional prerequisite because you need both. Bridging courses are acceptable but were due a long time ago I think, or before the application process for VTAC begins.

-Bendigo: Yes Bendigo. You'll have to live on campus, but you can go back home on the weekends, Melbournians.

-La Trobe asks you to purchase about $5000 worth of equipment. The most any other university asks.

-UMAT: not needed.

-Non Y12 applicants: UMAT required if not from an internal transfer. It's around 96 (yikes!). WAM of around 80. Internal transfers can be viewed as simpler in this sense without UMAT or potential interview.

3. University of Queensland and University of Adelaide:

- Both more well established undergraduate courses than Latrobe.
- Both require UMAT, sitting at about 80 something.
-Adelaide requires an interview after your UMAT and ATAR.
-UQ requires a ~99 ATAR, but I think Adelaide may sink to ~98 if your interview and umat are impressive.
-Adelaide Dentistry doesn't offer second-round interviews unlike Adelaide Medicine.
-UQ will give bonus ATAR points for "difficult" subjects completed like languages and Specialist Maths, and a university Enhancement subject.



ORAL HEALTH:

Oral Health is NOT the same as Dentistry. Oral health gives you a qualification as either a oral health therapist or hygienist, or both depending on which university.
Oral health Ts and Hs do a variety of dental procedures like scaling and cavity preparations, but are not trained to do more' challenging' surgical procedures such as root canals and basic orthodontics. They are an important part of the health care system, ensuring that you could have some basic dental care without seeing a dentist. However, they aren't that widely known by society and dentists are skeptical of them. I personally think they are great. If you do Oral Health at Melbourne, you can't transfer to Dentistry, but if you study hard and earn a good WAM at La Trobe, you can transfer to its own Dentistry course.

Will add to this as best I can according to your questions.

[Romperait]

Given the changeover for prerequisites to include both biology and chemistry after most of us made our subject selections like you said, would you say it's worth still putting La Trobe dentistry down as a preference if one hasn't indicated the presence of any bridging courses?

Furthermore, if they are indeed more lenient when taking into account the lack of prerequisites, is there anything you'd recommend doing now in applying for the course to  reduce the likelihood of immediate rejection? 

[iffets12345]

Given the changeover for prerequisites to include both biology and chemistry after most of us made our subject selections like you said, would you say it's worth still putting La Trobe dentistry down as a preference if one hasn't indicated the presence of any bridging courses?

Furthermore, if they are indeed more lenient when taking into account the lack of prerequisites, is there anything you'd recommend doing now in applying for the course to  reduce the likelihood of immediate rejection? 

Yes, definately put it down if your second course is a shoe-in. For example, I could get into Biomedical Science/Engineering which was an atar of around 97-98, so the logic was, and is, that I had nothing to lose and took a chance and put it second and La Trobe Dentistry first for my preferences. The horrible thing is I think of all those other worthy applicants who also hadn't done bio and had not taken the chance.
Find some kind of bridging course. Just find one. And do it. And then call La Trobe and inform them of this. Perhaps that will help, and it will give you an upperhand to all teh other non-biology students. at the end of teh day, evidence of some biology background might help you
At the end of the day, it will be some time before enough people with 99+ATARS and who have done bio will want to do dent to make the places limited for non-biology students.

[pelliot]

I was totally confused about dental entry, because it is different for say Melb and UQ and Uni of Adelaide! i found this website that has pretty much all entry reqs for courses that require the umat - it completely cleared up all of my questions! it has great info about UMAT, undergrad dentisty and interviews and everything!! check it at <link removed> Hope it helps you guys out